Elements of Disharmony
by VampireOfTheNet
Summary: An MLP: FiM fic! This is the future, all the ponies are grown up, and it's time for the next generation to take their place! But, wait, what's happening with the Elements of Harmony?
1. Prologue

Prologue:

_A/N: Hello! Thank you for reading my newest story. This story is based in the future of MLF: fim, and the main characters are going to be the sons of the main characters. Enjoy._

_KEEP IN MIND: This is just the… well, for lack of a better term, the "beta" version of the story. If you find any grammar or spelling mistakes, please tell me. Thanks! Oh, and review! Fluttershy says so!_

"Everyone!" The mayor of Ponyville, Twilight Sparkle, yelled. "Listen to me!" She used her magic to telekinetically bang her gavel against the stand she was standing behind. A crowd of ponies stood in front of her along the main street of Ponyville. Twilight set her gavel down and sighed as the murmuring died down.

After a few seconds of silence, Twilight spoke again. "Ark Kaine, please step forward."

A slim unicorn with a white body and a light grey mane stepped forward. An infinity symbol glowed on his flank and his golden eyes stared up at Twilight. Twilight blushed slightly as she stared at him.

"Er… yes. Ark Kaine, will you please tell the crowd what you have learned?"

"Gladly." Ark said simply as he teleported beside Twilight. Twilight glanced at him and stepped down from the podium.

"Ponyville residents." Ark said in a clear voice. "As you may or may not be aware, I am very experienced with the Elements of Harmony." He paused as if thinking before continuing. "I am the creator of one of them; the Element of Magic." He glanced at Twilight quickly. "My brothers and sisters created the other five, but they were slain long ago."

"How is it you have the power to create Elements?" A female earth pony from the crowd asked.

Ark was silent for a full thirty seconds before answering. "You doubt my power?" He asked. The white horn on his forehead glowed purple as a golden tiara with gems embedded in it appeared out of thin air.

It floated for a few moments before transforming into a purple sphere of pure energy. "This… the Element of Magic…." Ark raised a hoof and grabbed it. "I am the true owner of it."

The audience was awestruck at the glowing purple ball. Ark stared into the ball. "Over the centuries, this element has had many owners; the most recent being my friend Twilight Sparkle." He glanced at her, but looked back up into the ball. "But now it is time for Magic to belong to someone new." He brought the sphere down to his face and it became smaller. He handed it to Twilight. "Here. Give it to him."

Twilight nodded and walked off.

Ark faced the crowd again, a stern expression on his face. "But that is not why I'm here. I am here to inform you that your world is in peril if you don't do something quick to fix it."

A big black male pony clad in silver armor stepped forward. "What peril are you talking about?" He said in a deep voice.

Ark nodded to him. "The Elements of Harmony are not all good. That would be impossible. If there is good, there must be bad to balance it." He paused, letting that information sink in. "The Elements'… badness levels, for lack of a better term, have been increasing steadily over the last couple of months. I'm not sure why, but I'm currently looking into it. The point is, the Elements now have the possibility to corrupt it user."

"What do you suggest we do?" A random pony said from the crowd.

Ark sighed and looked down. "Well, you see…. That's the thing. I'm not quite sure. For the time being, we must be sure that the Elements are in the hands of ponies who are pure of heart. I will continue trying to find the source of this problem. But if I cannot find it… we must consider destroying the Elements of Harmony."

There was a collective gasp from the crowd.


	2. Sunset and Purgie

Chapter One

Sunset and Purgie

"Hey, Sunset!" A pony with a pink body and a blue mane called. She had bright blue eyes and a party hat as her cutie mark. She looked around the library she was standing in. "Sunset! Where are you?"

"Hey, Purgie." A pony popped his head out from behind a bookshelf and regarded his friend. He had a dark purple body, a black mane, and purple eyes. His cutie mark was a dark cloud. "What do you need?"

"Sunset!" She trotted up to Sunset with a big smile. "How are you?"

Sunset turned away to telekinetically put a heavy green book away. "I'm okay." He mumbled. "What's up?"

"I just came to tell you about the party my mom is hosting! It'll be tons of fun!"

"A party?" Sunset said distractedly as he used magic to bring another book forward. "What's the occasion?"

"There's a new pony in Ponyville!" Purgie said happily as she trotted in place. "Mom's gonna throw a big welcoming party!"

"Oh, really?" Sunset muttered as he replaced the second book with a third. "Who's the new pony?"

"He's an adult! Mom says he looks like he's around her age. But I've never met him."

"Oh. That's exciting." Sunset said, skimming through the book that floated inches in front of his face. Suddenly, the front door swung open and a dark figure entered the room.

"Hello, everypony." The pegasus exclaimed, the light in the room instantly dimming. "I hope your evenings are pleasant."

Sunset and Purgie looked up to see a pony they didn't recognize. He had a crimson mane, a black body, and pure red eyes with the silhouette of a bat as his cutie dark. A black cape was wrapped around his neck.

He smiled, revealing a pair of fangs. "My name is Vladimir Youngblood. It's a pleasure to meet you. I was wondering if I could speak with the mayor."

Sunset slowly put down the book and nodded. "Um… sure." He turned to the stairs behind him and yelled, "Mom? Are you there? Some guy's here to see you!"

With a flash of light, Twilight appeared beside her son. She looked at Vladimir with a friendly smile. "Hello, sir. How might I help you?"

Vladimir bowed deeply. "Greetings, Mayor Sparkle. My name is Vladimir. I was told that you might be here."

Twilight nodded. "You must be the new pony. Welcome to Ponyville. I hear that Pinkie Pie is going to throw a welcoming party for you."

"Indeed." The pegasus said, straightening up. "To be honest, I would prefer that she didn't. I'm not much of a party-pony."

"But you _have _to go to one of mom's parties!" Purgie said, hopping up and down. "We throw _amazing _parties! Ain't no party like a Pinkie Pie party, we always say!"

Vladimir looked at Purgie for a millisecond, his eyes seeming to flash slightly. Purgie suddenly stopped hopping, becoming perfectly still.

"Young one, I sense great mana within you. It is a shame you are not a unicorn, you would have had great potential." He paused silently. "Your father also had great potential. It was wasted, sadly. He's also an earth pony. If only your magically inclined ancestors didn't mingle with earth ponies, Equestria would be _completely _different."

Purgie shuddered slightly. "You… know who my dad is?"

Ignoring Purgie, Vladimir turned towards Sunset. His eyes glowed dully. "Ah… Sunset Sparkle. Your magical potential is almost frightful, considering your bloodline. Twilight alone is the most powerful magic-wielder of her generation. And not to mention your father-"

"Enough." Twilight said with a stern expression.

Vladimir smirked. "My apologies, madam. You'd think after all my years of life I would learn to keep my mouth shut at times." He turned. "Farewell, all. I shall see you at the party." And he walked out.

Sunset looked up at his mother. "Mom…? Why do you get so nervous whenever dad is mentioned? Why won't you tell me who he is?"

Twilight's face paled. "I told you, Sunset. I'll tell you who he is when you're older."

Sunset scowled. "I'm old enough to hold the responsibility of the Element of Magic, but I'm not old enough to know who my father is?"

Twilight looked away. "I'm sorry, Sunset. I have to go now." She disappeared with a flash of white light.

Sunset's scowl deepened. "I don't understand it, Purgie. Mom doesn't give me even the slightest hint of who my dad is."

"My mom's the same." Purgie's face was uncharacteristically sad, but then she perked up again. "But don't worry! I'm sure everything will reveal itself in time!"

Sunset pulled another book off the shelf using magic. After staring at it for a few seconds, he set it down and looked out the window. "I have an idea, Purge."

"Really? Does it have to do with the party?"

"No. We're going to follow that Vladimir guy and find out what he knows about our fathers."

"Okey dokey, Loki!" Purgie said happily. Sunset and Purgie walked out of the library to pursue Vladimir.

_A/N: Thanks for reading the first chapter! As I said in the prologue, let me know if you find any errors that need to be fixed. Reviews and construction criticism encouraged._

_Also, who wants to have their own custom pony in this story? All you gotta do is PM me with your pony's information. Like this:_

Name: (your pony's name, full name would be appreciated, but not required.)

Gender: (kinda obvious.)

Type: (earth pony, pegasus, or unicorn. I will not do any alicorns like Princess Celestia)

Personality: (fun, happy, depressing, crazy, angry, whatever you want.)

Appearance: (just put here what your pony looks like. At the very least I need its body color, its mane color, and its eye color.)

Cutie Mark: (what cutie mark does your character have?)

Additional Notes: (just add anything extra about your pony here. Or you could leave it blank.)

_I guarantee I _will _use all ponies that are sent to me, but some might only be used for a chapter or so. Or, if I like the character, it could be in the story for much longer. Depends._


	3. The Quest to Glascow

Chapter 2

The Quest to Glascow

Sunset and Purgie ran through the streets of Ponyville until they spotted Vladimir, who was walking slowly through a crowd of bustling ponies.

"Okay, Purge." Sunset said as he started walking forward. "Let's just go up to him and ask-"

"Why, hello there, Sunset Sparkle!" A lightly accented voice exclaimed. Sunset turned to see a unicorn with a snow-white body, blue eyes, and a black mane trot up to him. A single light blue diamond shone on her flank.

"Oh. Hey, Nugget." Sunset said as he turned away from her and back to Vladimir.

"Whatever are you doing, Sunset?" Nugget asked, following his gaze.

"Purgie and I are going to go talk to that pegasus over there."

"Oh, you mean the new resident of Ponyville? Excellent! Mother and I are going to be decorating Pinkie's house for the party!"

"Yeah!" Purgie chimed in. "It's gonna be the greatest party of the year!"

"Right." Sunset said, not taking his eyes off of Vladimir, who had stopped to observe some apples in a cart. "That's great, Nugget. But we really have to talk to him. He knows something about our parents."

"He does?" Nugget asked as her eyes widened. "Wow! That's superb! _My _dad is actually away on business right now. Perhaps this new pony can inform you of your own fathers' whereabouts!"

Sunset glanced at her. "Yeah. Maybe. So we'll talk to you later, Nugget."

Purgie and Sunset walked forward as Nugget said her farewells and skipped away. As soon as the duo reached Vladimir, he turned and regarded them with cold stares.

"My, my." He said coolly. "What have we here? Two pursuers?"

"We wanted to ask you about our parents." Sunset said. Purgie was happily skipping in place.

"Indeed." Vladimir said with a small smile. "Of course two smart ponies such as yourselves would be curious about that." His eyes flashed slightly and the air seemed to dim slightly. "Yes, young ponies. I know who your fathers are. But I cannot tell you."

"Why not?" Purgie asked, ceasing her skipping.

"You must learn for yourselves." He said with a small smirk. "You see, the answers are too complex for your young minds to fully comprehend. I can tell you where to find them, but that is _all _I can do."

"But why?" Sunset said, starting to scowl.

"Calm yourself, little one." Vladimir said calmly. "I am forbidden from telling you straight out. You must learn for yourself. Purgie," He turned to the pink pony, "you must go beyond the boundaries of Equestria, to Glascow. It is on the outskirts of that small town that you will find your father."

"What about me?" Sunset asked.

Vladimir turned towards Sunset with a look of interest. "Your father's domain, Sunset Sparkle, is much, much farther than Glascow. And yet, it is much closer than you might think. Find Purgie's father, young one, and he will lead you to yours."

Sunset's lips pursed, but he nodded. "Okay. Thank you, Vladimir."

Vladimir bowed low. "Of course. But I must go now. I fear I have said too much." He straightened and extended his wings, lifting off the ground and soaring away with a single flap.

"So what do we do?" Purgie asked Sunset.

"We pack our bags, Purgie." Sunset said. "We can collect our other friends and head off towards Glascow. It'll be a long trip, so take only the essentials."

Purgie nodded happily and skipped away.


	4. Trembleshy and Balder Dash

_A/N: Hello again, ladies and gents! This is a short chapter, and I must apologize. Christmas break is coming up, so I won't have much time to upload anything, but I _will _continue writing, so don't worry. Longer chapters to come. _

_I'm still accepting OC ponies, and I'm glad to get them. Go ahead and send them to me. Oh, and for any of you wondering, Spike will appear sooner or later, don't worry. _

_Thanks! Make sure to review!_

Chapter 3

Trembleshy and Balder Dash

"Hey, Tremble, what are you doing?" A male pegasus with a blue body, a black mane, and rainbow-colored hooves asked. His cutie mark, a rainbow-colored sun, seemed to sparkle with every flap of his wings.

"Oh. Hello, Balder." A female pegasus said meekly. She had a yellow body, a purple mane, and two clear blue eyes. Her cutie mark was three white moths. She was staring at the ground shyly. "I… I was on my way to town. Mom needs some more carrots for Angel."

"Angel?" Balder landed. "You mean her rabbit?"

"Yes." Trembleshy said. "Angel's been going through a really rough time lately. Mom thinks she's close to dying."

"Oh." Balder Dash said, making sure to keep himself going slow to stay with Trembleshy's pace. "Is your mom okay?"

"She's very upset." Trembleshy said, keeping her eyes down. "She's been keeping to herself a lot."

"Oh. Well, I'll accompany you to town, okay?"

"That's fine." She said quietly.

After walking in silence for a few moments, a pegasus they didn't recognize appeared out of nowhere, landing right beside them.

"Ah, hello, you two." He exclaimed, pulling his wings close to his body, allowing his cape to fall over them. "My name is Vladimir. Wonderful to meet you."

"H-hello, sir." Trembleshy said, ears tight against the sides of her head. Vladimir stared at her, then turned to Balder Dash.

"You two ponies..." his eyes glowed slightly. "Trembleshy and Balder Dash." He nodded. "Your friends Sunset Sparkle and Purgie Pie are on their way to find you."

"How do you know our names?" Balder said with a suspicious look on his face.

Vladimir smiled. "Do not fret, little one. You will learn of my abilities one day. But, Trembleshy." He turned to her as she seemed to shrink. "Your mother is Fluttershy. But who is your father?"

"My dad?" Trembleshy shrank even more.

"Yes. You do not know who he is, correct? There's been a lot of that going on with the previous Holders of the Elements. Only Nugget and Appleseed know who their fathers are. Why is this?"

"I… I don't know…."

"Because the Holders of the Elements attract very unusual suitors. And their identities must be kept secret. Even from their own children, unfortunately. But don't worry. You'll find out who he is one day. Same with you, Balder Dash."

Balder's face flushed as Vladimir turned away. "Enjoy your evenings." And he disappeared.


	5. Appleseed

Chapter 4

Appleseed

_A/N: Hello! Sorry about not updating sooner. I ended up getting grounded, and some stuff happened… sorry! Anyway, here's the next chapter, so enjoy! I'll write more when I can!_

_Also: Hello, ben, nice to meet you. Sadly you don't have a fanfiction account, so I couldn't speak to you through PM. I used your devil pony in this chapter, but I changed a few things. I hope you like it!_

A male pony with a red body, orange mane, green eyes, and an apple tree sapling trudged along the family farm with two baskets of shiny red apples slung across his backs. Humming a tune to himself, he made his way slowly to his mother's big red barn.

He walked through the front door, setting the two baskets on a small table. "Hey, mom!" He called. "You in here?"

There was a cough, and a sickly Applejack slowly emerged from the shadows. She was smaller than her son, and her once magnificent orange body had lost its luster from years ago. She was much smaller than her son.

"Well, howdy, Appleseed." She said in her southern accent, a small smile on her face. She looked down and slowly made her way to her son. "How'd we do today?"

Appleseed sat beside his mother. "We did alright, mom. Same as always." He looked at his mother with concern. "How are you feeling today?"

"Oh, don't you worry 'bout little old me, Appleseed." She sat and looked at the baskets of apples. "Do you know where your father is?"

"I'm sure he'll be back from Fillydelphia any time now, mom." Appleseed said with a fake smile. He knew that was false, however. His father had left five years ago to locate some medicine for Applejack, but had been murdered by a group of bandits on his way back. Although they had both attended his funeral, Applejack never could remember her husband's death.

Appleseed looked at his mother for a few seconds, then stood. "I'll be right back, mom. I'm going to go collect some more apples. Are you going o be okay here by yourself?"

"Sure!" Applejack looked at her son with pride. "I'm the most reliable pony in all of Ponyville, remember?"

"Right, mom. Right. Well, be right back." He stood and walked out of the barn, sadness etched in his every feature.

As soon as he stepped in the apple orchard, a voice sounded off behind him. "Hello, Appleseed." Appleseed jumped in surprise and turned around quickly to see the most disturbing pegasus he had ever laid eyes on.

The pegasus was big, bigger than Big Macintosh had ever been. He had no eyes, and his empty sockets had dried blood around them. His black body was dark as night and his dark grey mane was the same shade as ash. His forehead was adorned with sharp horns. A sharp pitchfork was shining on his flank.

He bowed low and said, "An absolute pleasure to meet you. My name is Reficul."

"Um…" Appleseed stared at the demonic apparition. "What happened to you?"

Reficul straightened. "Nothing at all, my dear boy. I'm here to make a deal with you."

"What do you mean, a deal?" Appleseed asked, slowly backing away from the creepy pony.

"What would you say if I told you that I could heal your poor, sick mother?" Reficul said, slowly pacing around Appleseed.

"I would say you're crazy." Appleseed huffed. "My mom's disease has been going on for so long that it's incurable."

"Is that so?" Reficul stopped in front of him and smiled. "You have no idea what I am capable of, young one. I can _easily _cure your mother. And I only require one little thing from you."

"What's that?" Appleseed asked, highly suspicious.

Reficul smiled widely. "Your soul."


	6. On The Way

Chapter 5

On The Way

_A/N: Hello! And here's chapter five. In this chapter, two custom ponies that were sent in to me are at least mentioned. Hailz Margineie was sent in by __Hailzthewakawaka. And Emerald, who was only mentioned, but will appear later, was sent in by __Sergeant Daniel. Hope you guys enjoy! And please review!_

Sunset, Trembleshy, Balder, and Purgie stood on the outskirts of Ponyville, satchels across each back.

"Ready guys?" Sunset asked, smiling and raring to go.

"I think so…." Trembleshy said, her face down.

"I'm ready!" Balder Dash said with confidence.

"We should be gone by now!" Purgie said happily, trotting in place.

"That's exactly what I'm thinking, Purgie." Sunset said. "Let's go!"

The four ran off courageously, but after five minutes they found a pony carting a wagon full of gems.

"Hi there!" She said happily. "My name is Hailz Margineie! How are you ponies?"

The four slowed and stopped and looked at her. She had a dark purple body, and a dark brown mane that she wore to cover one of her brown eyes. A sharp yellow pencil showed on her flank. Her wings fluttered slightly in excitement to find company.

"We're on our way to find our parents!" Purgie said excitedly, jumping up and down. "My name is Purgie, this is Sunset, this is Balder Dash, and this is Trembleshy!" She said, pointing to each pony respectively.

"Cool." Hailz said with a smile. "Maybe you four can help me. See, I'm taking this cart of gems to my friend Emerald. He makes jewelry for ponies in Ponyville. But I'm kinda lost. I've been walking around for four days! Can you tell me where Ponyville is?"

"Sure!" Balder Dash said. He pointed behind him. "Just follow this road, you'll be there in less than ten minutes."

"Oh." Hailz's face reddened in embarrassment. "Probably should have tried that in the first place…. Well, thanks, guys. I'll make my way there now. Nice to meet you!"

"You too! I always enjoy making new friends!" Purgie said with a big smile.

"Okay…." Sunset said. "Well, if there are no more distractions…." The four turned to start running again, but froze in place when they saw a huge black dragon. He stared down at them with hate in his eyes.

"My, my." He said, his voice booming loudly. "Four ponies, I see. Where are the gems?"

"Wha-what do you mean?" Trembleshy stuttered, slowly backing up.

"You know what I mean, pathetic pony. I've been tracking a particularly delicious smelling batch of gems for three days now! I'm very close now; the scent is fresh. Where are they?"

Purgie jumped up happily. "Our new friend Hailz-" But her mouth was clamped shut by Sunset's magic.

"We don't know what you're talking about." He said, glaring up at the dragon.

The dragon scowled. "Listen here, you four. I want those gems, but I'll gladly gobble you four up instead. Don't make me angry."

"You… you won't hurt us, will you Mr. Dragon?" Trembleshy said, legs quivering slightly.

"Hurt you?" The dragon said, smiling and advancing slowly. "No, I won't hurt you. In fact, you won't feel a thing. Just a quick snap of my jaws and you'll be gone before you know it."

Trembleshy whimpered as her eyes shimmered with tears. The dragon took another step forward, but was hit in the back of the head with a huge boulder.

"What the…?" the dragon turned around in confusion as another boulder smashed into his snout. He roared loudly and grabbed at his bleeding nose as a third came and smashed into the side of the head, knocking him out.

The dragon then lifted off the ground and was hurled through the air, landing far, far away.

The four ponies looked around in confusion, but didn't see the black shadow far above them. It shone in mid-air for a few more seconds before flickering out and disappearing.

"What… was that?" Balder asked, turning to Sunset.

"Don't look at me." Sunset said, equally confused. "It wasn't me; I'm not sure if I could even _do_ all that."

"Hm…." Purgie hummed, looking around. "Well! No sense in wondering about what happened! Strange things happen all the time; this is just another one of them! Let's go!" And she ran off, the other three following.


	7. A Dark Tail

Chapter 6

A Dark Tail

_A/N: Hey, guys! Another short chapter, sorry. But I've been really busy with schoolwork and such. _

_TheRealGoodyTwoShoes brought it to my attention that asking you to leave a review with your character's info is technically against the rules of this site. So, instead, just go ahead and send them to me via PM. _

_Please continue reviewing!_

Vladimir stood atop a mountain side, staring down at the four traveling ponies. Reficul stood beside him, a look of boredom on his face.

"Did you see that?" Vladimir said with a small smile.

"Eh. I've seen better." Reficul said with a sigh.

Vladimir shook his head. "_He _intervened. I thought he would."

Reficul scoffed. "_He _is a joke. Just a ridiculous pony hiding away in his own dimension, too scared to come out."

Vladimir turned to Reficul with an amused expression. "Is that so? Then why don't you say that to his face?"

Suddenly, there was a crack of thunder and a dark portal opened up behind them. Ark Kaine slowly emerged, staring down at the two. "Hello, friends." He said.

"Ark!" Vladimir said with a happy expression. "How has it been going with you?"

Ark nodded seriously. "I've been alright, old friend." He turned to Reficul. "But you. I did not make you an immortal demon of the night just so you can go around insulting me and attempting to steal the souls of random ponies."

Reficul scowled. "Oh, yeah? Well, you didn't make me an immortal just so I can be Vladimir's little _slave._"

"It is your punishment, and you know it." Ark said, almost angrily. "You single-handedly devoured the souls of three hundred forty six ponies. And I have decided that your punishment is to remain Vladimir's servant for the next five hundred years. Your actions have consequences, Reficul."

Reficul muttered something distasteful and disappeared with a flash of hellfire.

Vladimir grimaced. "I'm not sure which one of us you're punishing more by binding him to me."

"I apologize, friend." Ark said, looking down at the four ponies' retreating forms.

"I'm surprised you helped them. I almost thought you'd make them figure it out themselves."

"I couldn't do that. They wouldn't have survived. Sunset may be the most magical pony in existence, but he still needs to harness it. He needs to hone not only _his_ skills, but also the raw power of the Element of Magic."

"I see." Vladimir said simply.


	8. Contemplations

Chapter 7

Contemplations

_A/N: Thank you for reading! In this chapter, Lightning Lionheart makes an appearance, and he was created by __FacelessRecon. _

_I have a little contest for you guys. I want you artistic bronies to draw a picture of Vladimir Youngblood as he is described in the story. Send your pictures to me, and the creator of the best drawing will win a series with their OC as the main character. I promise your series will have longer chapter s than this one does; I'm appalled by this story's short chapters. But I've been so busy doing things lately, I don't have much time to right. Sorry._

_Anyway, go ahead and send me the pictures through my email, which is displayed on my profile page. Enjoy, guys!_

Appleseed sat quietly near his barn, thinking.

"Hey, Appleseed!" said Lightning Lionheart, one of Appleseed's best friends. He had a blue body, a green mane, yellow eyes, and a pair of strong wings. A dark storm cloud was displayed on his flank.

"Hey, Lightning..." Appleseed said.

Lightning stopped beside his friend and sat down. "How's it going?"

Instead of answering, Appleseed said, "If you could have one wish, what would you wish for?"

Lightning blinked in confusion. "Erm... Well... I guess I would wish to be a member of the Wonderbolts. I've always wanted to be a Wonderbolt."

"Would you do anything to accomplish that?" Appleseed said, not looking his friend in the eye.

"Well, yeah." Lightning said. "But I need to get better first... I'm not that great of a flyer. Why are you asking?"

Appleseed sighed. "All I want is for my mom to get better. If I don't do something soon, she'll be dead within the next two months."

"But... that's not your fault, Appleseed." Lightning said with a concerned look on his face. "I mean, is there even anything you can possibly do?"

"Yes." Appleseed said gravely. "There is. It'd be a terrible thing for me to do, but... if it could help my mom..."

Lightning looked at his friend, total bewilderment showing on his face. "I am so lost right now." he said. "Can you... like... make any of that clearer?"

Appleseed stood. "I'm sorry, Lightning but I have to go now. I know what I must do. Get home safely, okay?"

Lightning barely nodded before Appleseed had run into the apple orchard. More confused than he ever had been, he turned around and flew away.

Appleseed ran past many apple trees, to the very heart of the orchard.

"Alright, Reficul." He said with a scowl. "I'm ready. Come on, I've made my decision."

Suddenly, Reficul appeared with a flash of black flames. "Have you, now?" He said with a smile. "How wonderful. Tell me, what is your choice? Your mother's death, or your soul?"

"My soul." Appleseed said, staring him down with false bravado. "You can have my soul. I just want my mother to live."

Reficul smiled evilly as his empty eye sockets glowed with a dull red light. "So be it. Your mother lives, in exchange for your soul."

Suddenly, Appleseed felt weak; weaker than he ever had been. He fell to his knees and groaned as he felt every ounce of happiness and hope leaving his body. The feeling quickly vanished, and he stood again, feeling sort of empty.

"It is done." Reficul said with a cruel smile. "Congratulations; your mother is healthy once again. I must go now, but I will be back. I think I'm going to save your soul for a rainy day." Reficul disappeared, and Appleseed ran back to the barn to see if his mother was alright.


End file.
